Monday, January 12, 2009

Open wi-fi is a terrorist tool and has to be shut down, right this second. That's the conclusion, at least, of the Mumbai police. Starting today, the Times of India reports, "several police teams, armed with laptops and internet-enabled mobile phones, will randomly visit homes to detect unprotected networks."

"If a particular place's wi-fi is not password-protected or secured then the policemen at the spot has the authority to issue notice to the owner of the wi-fi connection directing him to secure the connection," deputy commissioner of police Sanjay Mohite tells The Hindu. Repeat wi-fi offenders may receive "notices under the Criminal Procedure Code," another senior officer warns the Times.

Mohite notes that e-mails taking credit for terror attacks in New Delhi and Ahmedabad were sent through open wireless networks. "Unprotected IP addresses can be misused for cyber crimes,'' he says. Other Indian cities now require cyber cafes to install surveillance cameras, and to collect identification from all customers.

Kudos, India. I did not think it was possible to fight the war on terror any more incompetently than the US has, but you have now proved me wrong.

The logic here is impeccable.

Mohite notes that e-mails taking credit for terror attacks in New Delhi and Ahmedabad were sent through open wireless networks.

Yes, if those terrorists couldn't have sent e-mails taking credit, then the whole plot would have been foiled.

"Unprotected IP addresses can be misused for cyber crimes,''

Good point. Of course, unprotected IP addresses could have also been used by the victims (tourists with iPhones perhaps) to send information to the police while the attacks were occurring, giving the police the upper hand over the terrorists. But, we wouldn't want that.